Suffering so you don't have to!
Metalcatto
Honestly, if you name your band Vomitorial Corpulence, I think you’ve missed a golden opportunity. You could’ve called yourselves Chunky Puke instead. Anyway, you can probably tell that this is a Grindcore album, which means you’re about to get punched in the mouth until your gums start bleeding. No surprises here. But I do wonder whether this thing, Martyrdomical Symphonanthem, is actually any good. Let’s find out.
Metalcatto
Today, we’re going to try to answer the question: Can a metal album be ruined entirely by its lyrics? Also, I know many of you voted for Unatoned, but this is significantly worse. Machine Head‘s Catharsis was clearly a product of its time, full of excesses and moments that feel like an old Facebook post from someone trying really hard to virtue-signal. Having said that, the music itself didn’t make me puke right away. But don’t worry, stay with me.
Metalcatto
It’s been 10 years since Hyperion released album-of-the-year material with Seraphical Euphony (I was there!). At this point, I figured they were either dead or employed, which is why we never heard from them ever again. However, here we are. I lived long enough to see Elysia happen. Can it even come close to topping its predecessor? Not an easy task, but for once, I want to believe.
Metalcatto
Insomnium has had a career with ups and downs, yet is one of the few bands with two peaks (Above the Weeping Moon and Winter’s Gate). Consistency has been enormous for this band. They have managed to make MeloDeath interesting every single time a new release comes around. Netherworlds has a significant challenge ahead, but let’s see. Full disclosure: Insomnium is my wife’s favorite band, so I’m doing this review at gunpoint. Help!
Metalcatto
Who the heck is Dikajee? This was my first question. However, The Frame came from a good promoter, so why not believe in her? Nothing like a good Kickstarter to fund an album. I’m not being sarcastic. This tells me that the project aims to have complete creative freedom and a good budget. That gives me hope to have something that will finally surprise me in the Prog Rock department this year.
Metalcatto
Time to redeem myself from past mistakes, especially because I actually received some of these promos. I just didn’t see them in time. As tragic as when you dropped that ice cream at the local fair when you were three. Needless to say, these albums are easy 4/5 on my list. Now that we’ve got the lame numbers out of the way, let’s show some hidden pearls.
Metalcatto
If there’s one trick pony out there, it’s Amon Amarth. Despite this obvious fact, the band has been ridiculously successful, taking Viking sagas to places nobody ever imagined they’d reach—Wisconsin. However, ever since Jomsviking, I’d say the band has suffered a creative drought, which is why I’m approaching The Allfather Awakens with extreme caution. I have no hope this is going to be With Oden on Our Side or Deceiver of the Gods, but okay.
Metalcatto
I didn’t want to cover Metallica again so soon, but the people on Instagram have spoken, and apparently they want to put me through this ordeal. It’s easy to say that Lulu is the worst album our humble genre has offered to the sad world. Metallica and Lou Reed wanted to do something together. It was supposed to be different, audacious, fearless. What we got instead was fear deep in our hearts and generational trauma. So let’s start.
Metalcatto
In the depth of my ignorance, I didn’t know that Spirit Possession was a big deal. So I’m here to correct that mistake. The band delivers this harsh Black Metal that, despite being stuck to some traditions, has lots of nuances. It makes sense to think that Cathedral Speech could be more than just a decent album, but we’ve gotta go through this ordeal and see if we’re made for it.
Metalcatto
If you’re deep in the underground, you’ll probably have heard of Dream Unending and the great Song of Salvation. It’s an album that took Tomb Mold and made it an atmospheric journey. Now, Certain Uncertainties has big shoes to fill. Is it going to get heavier or weirder? It feels like both can’t go at the same time, right? The guys have a few choices, and they all come with risks. Let’s see what happened in the end.
